2. Contact Info

3. Dealer Selection

We drive many a Mustang. In fact, due to the seeming never-ending number of variants, we might test more Mustangs than anything else. Our intern is out mining salt (or equivalent) at the moment, so he can’t check the truthiness of my assertion. But I’d bet money on it. Maybe only five bucks, but money just the same. The point is, we test a whole lot of them. And guess what? The Shelby GT350 is the pretty dang fast. You might even say historically fast.

We’ll get to just how fast momentarily, but first, let’s discuss what constitutes the new GT350. It’s based on the 2011 Mustang GT, the one with the 5.0-liter 32-valve V8 that lost a race around Streets of Willow by less than one-tenth of one second to a BMW M3 (America’s M3?, October 2010). That’s one heck of a starting platform for Shelby, says us. Add to that a Whipple supercharger, Borla exhaust, adjustable Ford Racing dampers, adjustable camber plates, a serious set of Baer 6-piston brakes up front, not to mention Eradispeed rotors out back, and you’ve got yourself a very serious recipe for some Shelby style butt-kicking.

You’ve also got a whole bunch of ground effects, a humongous power bulge atop the hood, a ducktail wing, reworked taillight surrounds, covers over the rear side windows, and a couple of unique GT350 badges. Plus there’s those giant skunk stripes. The GT350 looks a touch boy-racerish; that’s undeniable. Still, it’s one of the very last cars you’d want to see in your rearview mirror. Let’s just call the bodywork a bit much, though intimidating. As for the interior, Shelby slapped some blue leather over the black leather and stitched Carroll’s signature into the head rests. Oh, there’s a signed chassis plate in front of the shifter, too. Please note: The car we tested is a pre-production vehicle. The production car has different, better-integrated panels plus a different badge or two.

You know what my absolute favorite part about the new Shelby GT350 is? The sound. Shelby has built the anti-Lexus. Whatever the opposite of quiet was, the GT350 is the new definition. Noise comes at you from all directions. Wind, tire, exhaust, supercharger, engine — they all play their part, like musicians in a band. Er, more like Scandinavian black metal musicians in a hard-drinking jam band. The point is that all the sonic elements combine to make some sick, sweet, thunderous music.

Under heavy acceleration you’ll swear you’re seated in Mad Max’s final V-8 Interceptor when the blower engages. It’s an angry, severe, aggressive yowl-and-roar combo platter. Blame the Borla-sourced exhaust and Ford Racing Whipple supercharger. Deceleration (or simply lifting) sounds even better with the Whipple making Millennium Falcon exiting hyperspace noises, and the center-mount pipes mimicking a hand grenade testing range. This is also known as a back-rap. As in, “Bap! Rap, rap, rap, rap…” every time you lift. I flat-out love it.

There’s a phrase you hear if you hang out in Texas — “All hat, no horse” — that’s a wonderful way to describe posers. It would be a shame if the latest Shelby fit into that wonderful though deprecating piece of slang, especially considering the supremely excellent noises it makes. Well, friends, let me assure you: This particular pony car has plenty of hat, and even more horse. Remember those numbers I teased you with at the beginning? Let’s inspect.

The bruiser hits 60 mph in supercar-quick fashion, needing only 3.7 seconds. A bit of comparison is in order. The 412 horsepower 2011 Mustang GT takes 4.4 seconds to hit 60 mph, impressive but wholly outclassed by the Shelby. The SVT-designed (though Shelby-badged) 2011 GT500 with its burly, aluminum 5.4-liter V8 and 550 horsepower needs 4.2 seconds to get to 60 mph. So obviously, then, the GT350 just makes more power, right? Wrong! According to Shelby, the GT350 makes “just” 525 ponies. Weight, then? Well, the newly lightened GT500 weighs 3,840 pounds, whereas the GT350 weighs 3,816 — that’s only a 24-pound difference, about the same as four gallons of gasoline. The truth of the matter is that the GT350 just puts the power down better. A lot better. Need another example? The 750 hp Shelby Super Snake makes 750 hp but needs 4.1 seconds to hit 60 mph.

Same holds true for the quarter-mile. The Mustang 5.0 does it in 12.7 seconds at 111.6 miles per hour. Our best run in the more brutish Shelby GT500 is 12.5 seconds at 115 mph. The GT350? Are you sitting down? 12 seconds flat at 121.4 mph. Granted, the aforementioned Super Snake also speeds over 1,340 feet in 12 seconds flat, but its trap is only 120.1 mph. This means the 2011 Shelby GT350 is the fastest production Mustang we’ve ever tested. End of story. Er, end of Mustang story. The 2011 Corvette Z06 Carbon also needs 3.7 ticks of the stopwatch to hit 60 mph, though the 600 pounds lighter ‘Vette pummels the quarter in 11.6 seconds at 123.6 mph. Still, this Shelby can play with the big boys.

That’s still not the end of the story. The 2011 GT350 comes in three flavors: Hot (naturally aspirated), Extra-Spicy (the poisonous snake we tested) and Total Insanity, the latter shipping with an optional 624 hp supercharger. Moreover, this Shelby comes with simply fabulous Ford Racing shocks, making it one of if not the sweetest handling Mustang we’ve ever driven. The GT350’s numbers back that claim up. Average lateral acceleration is 1.05 g and the newest Shelby ran around our patented 200-foot figure eight in 24.1 seconds with an average lat of 0.86 g. Here’s a quick recap: The 2011 Shelby GT350 is the fastest, best handling and sweetest sounding ‘Stang we’ve ever laid hands on. Any questions?

0-60 MPH

EPA MPG

Horsepower

2011 Ford Mustang News and Reviews

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